Ordinary Days

It's been longer than I had intended since being here. I've thought about it a thousand times but March turned out to be a very busy and disruptive month. 

You see, our house sale fell through yet again! Second time! This time, the person who was buying our buyers house pulled out, as a result, we lost our onward purchase.

Initially we were a bit sad but we know that everything happens for a reason and that God has always been and remains good! We relisted our property and sold it within days for significantly more than we had hoped for. This has opened up an opportunity for my husband embark on a new business venture so we look forward to seeing how that will come about.

In the meantime, we have decided to rent while we look for another property. It will also mean that we will be able to do away with any lengthy chains which has proved so problematic for us so far. By renting, we will be ready to move quickly once we find our new home. 

So for the next few months, we are still in our lovely home which means there is no need to put off planting my vegetable seeds. Once they are big enough, they will go into pots so that when we do move, they can come with us.

Growing

 I've got tomatoes, beetroot, peas, beans and courgettes growing on the windowsill. You can see how much they have grown in just a few short weeks since planting them.

I have also been growing new spring onions from a bunch of spring onions I bought at the grocery store. You simply trim the roots halfway and pop them into some potting soil. It is amazing at how well it works!

Reading

I mentioned in a previous post that I had resolved to only read 'real' books in 2025 so to that end, I applied for another library card and paid a visit to my local library.

It was lovely to be back in a place surrounded by books. I spent a lovely hour choosing my reads for the next 4 weeks. I am looking forward to diving into this pile of books! The only author I am familiar with in this collection is Alexander McCall Smith. The Agatha Christie book is about her life and characters, written by Cathy Cook. Agatha Christie is my favourtie author so I'm looking foward to seeing what the author has to say.

In the Kitchen

It seems like we are just not getting though our bananas very quickly these days so I have made a couple of dozen banana bread muffins. I have frozen them in batches and take out 6 at a time for us to enjoy with our tea and coffee mid morning or mid afternoon.

Around the Home

As we are staying in our home for a few more months, I unpacked the boxes that we had packed before Christmas. I now have all my receipe books back in use!

We are still enjoying our the new layout of our spring reshuffle. This space is working well as a dining room so I'm glad that we will get to enjoy it for a couple more months.

I have also reinstated our milk delivery. I had stopped this a week before we were supposed to complete on our sale way back in October. Given our luck with the sale I decided that I was no longer going to live in a state of flux - it's just too stressful. I'll stop the delivery when those papers have been signed and there is no turning back! 

In the Garden

One of the good things about being in our house for another few months is that we get to watch the garden come back to life.

We build this garden from nothing and we love it so. It is a blessing to see it slowly come into it's own. At the moment, it is an explosion of yellow punctuated with the bright pinks from the tulips.

The Marsh Marigold seems to have come out of nowhere. One moment is was a compact mass of leaves hunkering down, and the next this...

The garden has responded well to the burst of warm weather we have been having. I've enjoyed hanging the washing outdoors to dry in the breeze and we have spent quite a bit of time pottering about the garden. 

It is looking Easter Egg Hunt ready! Yes, even though our children are adults, they still enjoy a good old hunt. I think it's the free chocolate! Plans for Easter will be underway next week and I'm looking foward to turning my thoughts and heart back to the simple joys of observing the liturgical year and nuturing those who cross my threshold.

Anyhoo lovelies, I've prattled on for long enough today. Have a lovely weekend and I'll see you back here next week.

Happy Spring :: Happy St. David's Day

Happy Meteorological Spring and happy St. David's Day! What a great start to the month. Spring is most certainly in the air and the sun is just peeking over the horizon in the mornings when my alarm clock chimes. Glorious Day!!

I have to admit to feeling really upset and angry after watching that dreadful attack on President Zelenskyy by President Trump and Vice-President Vance on Friday. It was difficult and upsetting to watch such disrespect and bully tactics being shown on an international stage. The disrespectful comment about Zelenskyy not wearing a suit was just ridiculous. It honestly made me feel sick to watch. Coupled with the news that our house sale may once again be in jeopardy, I have felt the need to focus on what is good around me, and there is a lot of good.

Life's Simple Pleasures

Right now I have washing drying OUTSIDE in the sunshine! Such a small thing but it brings such joy. Make no mistake, it is still icy outside but as long as the sun is shining I can cope with the cold.

Indoors we have done a bit of rearranging. We have swapped over the furniture in the dining room and the snug. I don't know why it has taken us 5 years to think about this but it has. I have always loved sitting in my conservatory in previous houses, quietly stitching, writing or knitting away. In this house, we put the dining table in the conservatory and the sofa in the snug next to the wood stove which made sense at the time. 

I found that overall, I really didn't spend much time in the snug as it doesn't have a huge amount of natural light. So, as we were enjoying breakfast at the table this morning and enjoying the sun streaming through the conservatory, I knew that I wanted to change things up to better utilise the space. I think DH was a bit sceptical at first but now that it is done, we both agree that we should have done it sooner.

Approaching Lent

This week we mark the start of Lent with Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) and Ash Wednesday. 

With all the upsetting things happening in the world lately, I am looking forward to closing the door on it all and refocussing my attentions on what truly matters. In readiness I have picked out a Lent Bible Study - Hosanna In The Highest, a 4 week journey to the Cross & the Risen King by Courtney Joseph Fallick.

I do enjoy her guided journal-type studies and I'm looking foward to spending this time realigning my heart and soul.

The Spring Garden

Look what I spotted this week...

I have no idea what tree this is, I suspect some sort of ornamental cherry tree but I've seen them blossoming all over town this week. Look at all those buds waiting to come out!

The Forsythia is just starting to bloom. This will be a mass of yellow over the next week or two. For me, Forsythia heralds the arrival of spring so it is always a joy to see those bright yellow blossoms.

In the woodland garden we have a wonderful show of primroses. From the house it looks like the Easter Bunny has been and left massess of brightly coloured eggs for us.

I have been finding pockets of crocus all over the garden. I planted a few patches of bulbs about three years ago and they seem to finally be multiplying and giving us more of show than they have in the past. A delight to see.

Finally, the roses are starting to put out their leaves. This rambling rose is packed with clusters of soft pink roses which slowly fade to white in early summer. It's wonderful to see the garden stirring at this time of the year. 

 Well lovelies, my oven has just signalled that supper is ready - an easy stone-baked pizza, a perfect Saturday evening no-fuss meal. Where ever you are and what ever you are doing, I hope that you are finding joy and peace in the simple things.

Slow Living - Are We In Danger Of Becoming Quite Useless and Sterile?

I am sure that I do not need to state the obvious but I'm going to say it anyway...social media and our instant access to most things is killing the joy of living.

If I just think back 10 years, I did more living than scrolling. 

Today we watch Instagram reels of an 'idyllic life' for inspiration but how much living to we do as a result? 

We watch bread being made instead of making it ourselves and savouring the smell of the yeast as the dough proves, followed by the aroma of baking bread permiating every room. 

We watch a kitchen garden coming to life and being harvested in a matter of seconds, but ours remains unchanged and unproductive. We watch someone walking barefoot through the meadows in her beautiful linen dress but we do not get out our sewing machine and we find every excuse not to spontaniously kick off our shoes and walk through the dew-covered grass.

We are a society slowly dying and loosing the essence of life as we trade it in for conveniance and more useless mass-produced things that clutter up our homes.

These are the thoughts that struck me recently as I picked up my neglected Kindle last week and suddenly missed the weight of a proper book, the feel of the paper in my fingers, the smell of a book never opened. When last did I visit my local library? I can't remember.

I used to make a trip every three weeks and leave with my arms laden with titles that looked intriguing, looking forward to spending quite times turning each page over the coming days with a cup of tea. A simple joy - willingly set aside.

3 years ago I watched the documentary The Social Dilemma - an exposé by the very people who developed all these 'social' platforms. Not one of them allowed their own children to have all these social platforms. Why? because they designed them to captivate the minds of users, to cause an addiction, to keep them coming back for more. Not only that, the algorithm feeds you more of what you like, agree with and seek, thus focusing your exposure to messages that reinforce your ideas to the exclusion of actually thinking about it.

I remember being shocked. Horrified. 

And yet we are convinced that we need it for our businesses. We need it as a source of inspiration and learning. We need it to 'connect'. We need it to make money. Yet it divides us, isolates us, destroys creativity and extinguishes the thing that makes us human.

I see all this in my own habits and in the way I live my life now compared to 10 years ago. It is frightening how quickly it consumes your hours and distracts from real living. 

So I'm making 2025 the year where I detox from attention span limiting habits and getting back to living every moment of my life. I'm baking my own bread, stocking my freezer with meals made from scratch and homemade bakes. I'm growng my own food, preserving, and making time for sewing, stitching, knitting. 

As soon as we move to our new home in the coming weeks, I will visit my local library and get a library card. Once again I will have piles of lovely books to page through on a range of topics. 

I'm going to join the WI, meet new people, establish a craft group, take long country walks, and savour the joy of each day lived in appreciation of each moment. 

Tell me, do you ever feel the same? Do you feel that we are losing the 'good old days' of common sense, long conversations shared, cooking from scratch or stocking the freezer with homemade meals for those days where time is short?

Do you miss spending quiet time with God? Unhurried time reading an actual book or sewing a dress, or growing food for your table? When last did you sit quietly listening to music or stroll around a gallery? When last did you spontaniously pack a picnic and head out in search of a riverbank to enjoy good food with others?

How about coming along with me and making 2025 the year where you take back control of your daily moments, where you take back control of your time instead of allowing the use of 'social' media to devour all your time.

My blog has always been a space where I record ordinary days. An online account of a life lived. I find it an insightful tool to look back on and I have done so oon many occassions. In keeping with documenting my days and in my quest to get into the habit of living each moment in a considered and purposful manner, I will share a few 'slow' things from my week. Perhaps you would like to share a few things that you are doing around your home. Why not start a blog and document your slow living and share your posts with me - just leave a link in the comments.

1. I'm Creating

I've taken up nature journaling again. There has been a three year gap since my last entry. Before that, my journaling time was a weekly habit; an outpouring of being in the daily habit of observing what was happening in nature around me.

Since my daughters graduated from our homeschool, my journaling has become sporadic at best. But I've decided to make time each week to sit quietly and record what I see happening in nature

It can just be something I noticed in the garden or when out walking. The idea is that by being aware and alive to your surrounds, you are taking joy in that moment.

I've managed to keep up with my journal entries this month, at least in sketch form. I'll spend a couple of hours this week painting them.

2. I'm reading - (a proper book - only real books for 2025) 

I'm reading English Pastorial An Inheritance by James Rebanks. This book was recommended by a dear friend. The author is from a farming family in the Lake District. His grandfather taught him how to farm the land the old way and he remembers the farm being a patchwork of crops and meadows, pastures filled with grazing livestock.

When he inherited the farm he says it was barely recognisable from the farm of his youth, such have been the effects of modern farming techniques on the land coupled with people moving away from the countryside as machinery took over their jobs. This book is his story on embracing the old ways and trying to restore the life that has vanished from the land.

It is beautifully written and so inspiring that I just don't want this read to end!

3. In the Kitchen 

With it just being the two of us at home now, I find that I have not baked anything in ages as it just does not get eaten. But then I remembered something my grandmother said many years ago, she said she used to bake cakes, decorate them and then freeze them. That way, she always had something in the freezer should she have visitors at short notice. 

I've taken a leaf out of her book and started baking again but freezing it in portion sizes that are suitable for two people. The cake above was cut into squares and frozen. I just take out a couple of squares every week to satisfy any sweet cravings we get. I've done the same with muffins.

Well lovelies, I hope that you are having a wonderful week. If you are finding that the world is all a bit crazy at the moment or that life is moving at a pace that is just way too quick, I would love to encourage you to stop what you are doing and choose just one 'slow living' activity to include in your week. Just a few hours of painting, reading or baking - whatever it is that brings you joy.

I shall see you back here very soon. Have a lovely week!

The North West Winter Wool Festival

In June 2024 I was bemoaning the fact that as an indie yarn dyer I found it difficult to get a place in some of yarn shows that take place throughout the year. At that point my DH suggested that I organise my own event. I figured that there would be other small businessess around that had the same issue and I really wanted to provide a platform giving them the opportunity to promote and grow their own businesses.

So I did it. I settled on a time of year that did not have any shows in the North West and booked the venue.

 I then set out to secure exhibitors. I spoke to numerous small business owners when I attended the shows I had managed to secure in 2024 and handed out thousands of leaflets and launched a consistant social media campaign to raise awareness over the coming months.

All too soon the weekend arrived and my exhibitors started arriving and setting up. It always amazes me to see how an empty space becomes the most beautiful Aladdins Cave of jewel coloured yarns and crafty treasures. 

It was so lovely to see everyone so excited for this event. There are not many events like this in the North West and really nothing between January and March so it was good to fill the 'hungry gap' for small businesses and visitors.

 I enlisted my family and we prepared to welcome all our visitors. 

Saturday was absolutly heaving! I could not have hoped for a better outcome. Everyone was so excited to brighten up gloomy February by spending a day squishing yarn.

Overall the show was a success and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I've never organised an event before and so I suppose you could say it was an ambitious or stupid thing to take on a 2-day large scale event however, I'm really glad we did it. There is nothing nicer than helping to promote small businesses and to provide something that makes people happy. 

I learned so much from this show and I have a list of things that I want to change and improve for our next event such as a different ticketing system, having show merchandise available, and a place for visitors to leave their coats!

You never know just how an event will be supported and what sorts of numbers you can expect but overall it was a success and I'm so glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone and did it. We will certainly be putting this event on again next February!

This past week has been very busy with numerous court appearances for clients so there was very little time to pop up here and give you a peek into the world of wool shows. It was only yesterday that I actually got around to packing away all the show bits and bobs. 

Next week is a bit quieter work-wise and I am grateful for that. I'm hoping to get some sort of clarity on exchange and completion dates on our house sale. I think we are now in a place to focus all our attention and efforts on moving back to the countryside and quite frankly, we are looking forward to the peace and quite!

We have a piece of land that backs onto our current home that has been undevelped for years. Shortly before winter they broke ground and while it has been so much quieter and less disruptive that I thought it would be, I am craving wide open spaces and views overy the countryside.

Anyhoo lovelies, I hope that you have had a wonderful weekend and are almost ready for the week ahead. See you soon!